October Cow Culling Slows

Without a Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) program to buy cows, dairy cow culling slowed down in October, according to USDA slaughter report released today.

Some 227,000 dairy cows were culled in October, 9,000 head less than a year ago and 10,000 head less than September. Year-to-date, culling is running 203,000 cows ahead of last year.

The year-to-date culling numbers are eerily close to the number of cows removed through the CWT program this year. The second CWT round of 2008 was partially completed in January. That round took out nearly 51,000 cows. The first CWT round culled 101,000 cows and the second, completed in September eliminated another 74,000.

(Audits are currently underway for the third CWT round this year, which will claim another 26,000 bovines.

USDA also estimated in its October milk production report that there 9.098 million dairy cows on U.S. farms in October, down 226,000 cows from a year ago and 24,000 head fewer than in September.